Anyone headed to the Stagecoach festival in Indio should make sure to bring a bandana to pair with their cowboy hat and boots, as the Coachella Valley is expected to see high winds and dusty air much of the weekend.
An alert from the South Coast Air Quality Management District warns of windblown dust and high particle pollution (known as PM10) starting in the late afternoon Friday, April 24. The National Weather Service has also issued a wind advisory for the area effective from 2 p.m. Saturday through 11 a.m. Sunday, warning of gusts up to 55 mph across the valley, including the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
The AQMD alert says air quality could degrade to levels considered “unhealthy” or worse starting at 5 p.m. Friday. The worst air quality is expected in the northern parts of the valley, while other areas — including the festival grounds — could see air quality deemed “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
The winds were expected to pick up Saturday afternoon, with the strongest winds predicted overnight Saturday into Sunday. During that period, the AQMD alert again warns or “unhealthy” or worse air quality in the northern parts of the valley, as well as dust that’s “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in other parts of the valley.
Anyone who’s attended Stagecoach can attest to the dust being particularly pronounced at the Empire Polo Club, after hundreds of thousands of visitors have walked around the grounds during the prior two weekends for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
With winds ranging from 20 to 35 mph, and even stronger gusts in the forecast, the National Weather Service warned that the winds could blow around unsecured objects and break away tree limbs, adding that some power outages may occur.
The valley’s air quality is expected to improve to good to moderate levels Sunday afteroon, when the forecast calls for weaker winds.
Beyond the winds, the temperatures at the festival are expected to be relatively mild, with highs in the low 80s during the day and overnight lows in the mid-50s, according to the weather service.
Tom Coulter is a reporter for The Desert Sun. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: High winds, dusty air possible for Stagecoach. See weekend weather
Reporting by Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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